(Continued from previous message)   
      
   Tornado Season now, and I think the winter stuff is past until this   
   fall. But, after northwest Arkansas got 6 inches of snow the first   
   weekend of May last year, nothing is guaranteed.    
      
     Back to the medical, a female doctor examining me thought I had a   
   double inguinal hernia on either side of my genitals, but not on the   
   genitals themselves.   
      
     This can become a life and death emergency situation in a hurry...as   
   it can strangle the testicles in males, or the large intestine in both   
   sexes. That can cause the affected area to become gangrene and die in a   
   hurry...and it can only be corrected by emergency surgery...and a delay   
   in doing such can be fatal!!   
      
     Well, I went to a hernia specialist, and he did the "turn your head   
   and cough" test, but he could not detect any hernias!! When I told him   
   that doctor had examined me while I was on my back, he annoyingly noted   
   "That's not the position to check for inguinal hernias", and added "I'm   
   not going to do surgery if you don't need it". My bank account was   
   rather relieved on that one.   
      
     What I do have, however, is a severe groin muscle pull...and that,   
   unfortunately, has to heal on its own, with "nature taking its course".   
   The heaviest thing I lift each month is a 30 pound case of ham radio   
   license exam supplies, and that's just once a month.   
      
     My PCP did prescribe a stronger dose of Ibuprofin (a bit stronger than   
   the OTC variety). However, I no longer take any pain medication on a   
   daily basis, because of two reasons. First, it was giving me constant   
   migraine (rebound) headaches. Second, any type of pain medication makes   
   me groggy. I took 2 Excederin Migraine earlier today...it took away the   
   headache, but also knocked me out!! The nap was needed, but it's not for   
   beauty's sake...I gave that up long ago.    
      
     They finally increased my diet to clear liquids, then a regular   
   "bland" diet...no spicy foods...and that included tomato sauce for meat   
   loaf (that was a drag).   
      
     They were going to discharge me on a Saturday afternoon (after being   
   admitted the Wednesday before)...but, the deal in many cases now is "you   
   can't go home until you go poop"!! Since it was my colon and the rest of   
   the digestive tract that brought me in (as noted, there was   
   gastrointeritis going around), I wanted to make sure it was WORKING   
   before I got released.   
      
     However, the next day, it took forever for the doctor to come around   
   to set up the discharge papers, and for transportation to come take me   
   downstairs. I told them that my Mom didn't drive that much, as she was   
   nearly 88 years old, and has macular degeneration in her eyes...my   
   brother was out of town that weekend, and my wife and father had died 7   
   years before. I told them that I would pay for the taxi ride home...just   
   get me out of here!!   
      
     I thought I was coming down with another bout of bronchitis about a   
   week or so after I got home from the hospital...but I think I'm finally   
   having to deal with allergies, pollen, hay fever, etc. I did get some   
   extra Day-Quil and Ny-Quil, but haven't taken that much of them...as   
   both tend to make me drowsy. But, with all the rain we've had lately, it   
   has tended to keep the pollen washed out of the year. However, on the   
   way home from my Mom's earlier today (I do most all the driving for her   
   now), I saw several trees loaded down with pollen!!   
      
     Also, my hands have dried out, but it's like I've got a fungus,   
   similar to athlete's foot. I have hand lotion, plus some anti-itching   
   cream to use. I had worked around strong solvents (methyl-ethyl-ketone)   
   for almost 20 years when I was in silkscren printing, and that can drain   
   moisture from you in a hurry. They also gave me an antibiotic that I   
   took once a week, but it doesn't seem to be helping much. I'm not sure   
   what the problem is.   
      
     Anyway, that should do it for this post. I do have blood work   
   scheduled for early July, then a KUB exam and PSA check in October, and   
   an eye exam in November. I hope that's the last of my medical deals for   
   the year.   
      
   Daryl   
   ---   
    þ OLX 1.53 þ Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7 of your week.   
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
                                                                                     
   --- Virtual Advanced Ver 2 for DOS    
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